Know Thyself

SUDOKU WEEK – THURSDAY

I was talking to my friend about yesterday’s post, Just For Fun. She enjoyed my analogy, but said if she were to try sudoku she would become crazed until she finished the puzzle. She qualified her statement with, “At least right now, I will not be tackling any puzzles.”

And this brings up an excellent point. Sudoku puzzles are like your life because it’s your choice whether or not to do them. There is nothing inherently good about doing a sudoku puzzle. However… if the thought of it makes you anxious, it’s worth some examination.

Today’s inspiration: What Else?

How to use it: Think about how you feel when you think about trying a sudoku puzzle. Curious? Masterful? Anxious? Bored?

Why do you feel this way?

Common answers:

• I’m not good at puzzles.
• I don’t have time.
• I’m great at puzzles.
• I will feel compelled to finish.

Go one step deeper…

Why do you think this?

• What is your evidence?
• Do you see this tendency in other areas of your life?
• Is it helpful?
• Do you wish it were different?

Example: My dad flies through sudoku puzzles. I never wanted to try sudoku because I wasn’t sure I could finish one, and I knew I could never do it as fast as he could. My mom does regular puzzles with lightening speed. I was always an average-speed piece finder, so I said puzzles were boring to avoid looking slow. I didn’t like puzzles in general because they made me feel stupid, or at least not as smart as some other people.

One day I watched my son work on a sudoku puzzle and he explained how he figured out the numbers. I had fun trying to find numbers with him because I wasn’t competing, and we were spending time together. My son also purchased a 3,000-piece puzzle that he worked on for over a year, and which now hangs in a frame on his wall. I helped him sort and find many of the pieces. I loved working on that puzzle because I wasn’t trying to be the fastest, I was just trying to help him reach his goal.

Those two experiences allowed me to appreciate puzzling as a precious moment in time.

The challenge: Do what you are doing just to do it—no goal, no story. Try it and see how you feel. The more you practice, the easier it gets. When I am in the moment, I feel the magic of life flow through my veins.

Nothing ever happened in the past; it happened in the Now. Nothing will ever happen in the future; it will happen in the Now. – Eckhart Tolle

Be inspired. Go forth. Create your day.